Mah

Mah is a Chinese surname and the alternate transcription of Ma, derived from the Chinese character 马 meaning "horse." This surname is common among Chinese communities worldwide.

Cultural Significance

While Mah is primarily a Chinese surname, the word Mah also appears in other cultural contexts. In Zoroastrianism, Māh (the Avestan term for moon) is the name of a lunar deity. The term is cognate with the English word "moon," from the Proto-Indo-European root *mēns. As a Chinese surname, however, Mah refers solely to the horse imagery of the character 马, which bears no connection to the Zoroastrian moon deity.

Notable Bearers

One notable person with the surname Mah is Kwang-Wu “K. W.” Mah (1909–1983), a Chinese plant genetics researcher who developed improved rice strains at Iowa State University and worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

• Meaning: Horse
• Origin: Chinese
• Type: Surname
• Regions: China, Chinese diaspora